Rebuilding Trustworthiness in Health Care

Trust at multiple levels – between patients and clinicians, between those within a system that must collaborate to create high-quality care, and between communities and their health care institutions and systems – is essential for optimal functioning of the health care system. But, over the past 50+ years, this trust has measurably declined.

In response, the ABIM Foundation partnered with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to lead an initiative aimed at understanding and enhancing trust within health care systems. In 2022, this partnership embarked on a journey to develop a theory of change and intervention strategies to bolster trust, and in 2023, six health care systems from across the US piloted these strategies, focusing on acknowledging historical harms, addressing current trust gaps, and implementing systemic improvements.